Dylan Gartenmayer, 22, has been diving in the waters near his Key West home for the past 11 years. As it turns out, a few days ago his own fast thinking and his family’s fast rescue efforts probably saved his life.
Gartenmayer was free diving in about 35 feet of water off Western Sambo Reef, when a strong current swept him away. When he surfaced, he realized he was about a mile from his boat, with two friends on board.
He could see the boat; his friends couldn’t see him.
The friends searched for half an hour and called the Coast Guard. About 5 p.m., the friends returned to their dock because their boat didn’t have lights. But before they left, they called another friend in Key West and gave him the GPS coordinates of where Gartenmayer had been seen last.
The Key West friend immediately called Gartenmayer’s grandfather, who had a boat. The grandfather called other family members to meet him on the boat, and they headed for the GPS location.
Meanwhile, Gartenmayer, who was wearing a wetsuit, managed to find two mooring balls. He made something of a raft out of them, to keep himself afloat and also to make it easier for rescuers to find him.
Just as it was starting to get dark, Gartenmayer’s family found him. The video of the moment they saw him (see below) went viral.
The Coast Guard took Gartenmayer back to their base in Key West because his core temperature was low. After an hour, it returned to normal, and Gartenmayer returned to his family to celebrate.
